iSurprise Them, Or They Surprise Me?
by EllaCollinsDash
Summary: Carly surprises everyone by returning home from Italy after a year. What lies behind the excitement? What's up with Sam, Spencer, and Freddie? What changes will Carly find, and what is the real surprise of the story? Spam/CarlyxOC/one-sided Seddie.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**A quick and basic background to the story: Carly was in Italy for a year and is now coming back to Seattle and surprising everyone. Carly, Sam, Freddie, and Gibby are 19; Spencer is 31. Also, Carly does some diary writing from time to time and the story is from her first-person point of view—something I've never done before, so bear with me! That's all I'm giving you for now, just so you know. J**

**Disclaimer: Dan Schneider owns iCarly, I do not.**

_Dear Diary,_

_Italy was fantastic—the food, the boys, the fashion, and most importantly, my dad. Spending a year with him was something I had dreamed about doing since he first left when I was eleven. It was great, but I know that Seattle is where I belong._

_As great as a time as I had, I miss Spencer and my friends so much. I'm on a plane now to go surprise them; they'll never see it coming! And Sam thinks I can't pull a good prank…_

_I can't wait to see everyone! I wonder how things have changed. I Skype everyone as much as I can but we all get busy and the time change makes it difficult. And what will we do about iCarly? Pick up where we left off? I hope we can once I figure out school._

_The pilot just announced that we're approaching Seattle, I better go! I'll write again soon._

I closed my diary, buckled my seatbelt, and looked out at the clouds. Seattle clouds. Why was this place so magnificent to me? It isn't as physically beautiful as Florence. It's wet and cold most of the time here. But I love it more than any place in the world. There's just something about this place…I don't think I ever want to leave again.

As soon as we land and get off the plane, I text my dad to tell him I've arrived safely. He worries about me returning to Seattle after being under his supervision for a year.

After I retrieve my luggage from baggage claim, I call a taxi and tell the driver to go to Bushwell Plaza—my home. Although the ride is only about twenty-five minutes long, it feels like an eternity goes by before we arrive at Bushwell. I thank the driver and give him the cash I owe him, and as he drives away I am left here to marvel at the home I've missed for a year.

I take my many bags—it's a struggle with two huge suitcases and three travel-size bags—into the lobby before I hear an obnoxious, shrill voice behind the front desk.

"OHHHHH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE? I thought you were in _Italy,_" Lewbert shouted. He put extra emphasis on "Italy", as if he was mocking my trip. He's probably just jealous, I note as I notice his wart is still there—and has possibly gotten bigger, if that could happen.

"It's great to see you, too, Lewbert. But I'm home now, for good," I say with confidence. _I can't wait to do "Messin' with Lewbert" again_, I think to myself and smile. "Uh…can I maybe get some help with these bags?" I ask nervously, a little bit scared of what Lewbert's reaction might be.

"UGHHH," he screams, "Do it yourself!"

Just then, a cute guy in a Bushwell employee uniform walks out from the back office and calms Lewbert, "Hey, Lewb…chill out, man. Did you run out of your meds again?" the guy says, poking fun at Lewbert while simultaneously relaxing him. He's tall, looks around 20, has dark brown hair, and is wearing a beanie on his head probably because it's so messy. "Can I help you, Miss?" he offers.

"Uh, yeah. Can I get some help with these bags? I live in 8-C," I say as I think about how good it feels to say that again after a year.

"Of course. Do you have an authorization key for the cargo elevator?"

"No, but my brother is probably home if we go to the front door."

"Alright, then we'll take the public elevator," he says as he approaches me and takes one of the huge suitcases and all three bags. I admire his strength for a moment and then follow him to the elevator.

"You're coming home from a long trip, I assume?" he asks me curiously.

"Yeah, I spent a year in Italy with my dad."

"Wow, must have been nice! I've always wanted to visit Italy," he says with enthusiasm.

"It was great, but I'm really glad to be home. You're new here, aren't you? I don't recognize you."

"I got a job here about…four months ago?" he says as he thinks, "Yeah, four months ago. Gosh, it seems like way longer than that with Lewbert. Guy is a piece of work," he says as he shakes his head.

"Tell me about it," I agree.

"My official job title is 'Assistant to the Doorman'. Not even 'Assistant Doorman'. Now I know how Dwight Schrute feels," he jokes, referring to The Office, and I laugh.

The elevator doors open and I lead the way to 8-C. "Ohhh, are you Spencer Shay's sister?" he says in a moment of realization.

"Yup," I happily declare.

"I talk to him and his girlfriend sometimes. He's a cool dude. Great artist, too."

"Wait, did you say girlfriend?" I ask him, confused, "My brother, Spencer Shay, has a _girlfriend_? Are you sure?" I think about Spencer's past with girls and somehow have a hard time believing that he has an official girlfriend.

"That's what I think she is…I guess you'll find out soon."

"Yeah, I guess," I agree as I reach into my pocket and hand him a few dollars for helping me with my bags, "I can take it from here. I want to go in and surprise him alone." I try to hand him the money, but he doesn't take it.

"Thanks, but it's no big deal. You can keep it," he says with a kind smile.

"Really?" I ask as he nods, "Okay. Thanks…er, I never got your name."

"Oh, it's Evan," he says as he puts his hand out to shake.

"Hi, Evan. I'm Carly," and we shake hands."

"Welcome home, Carly. See you later," he adds as he turns back toward the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

After the elevator doors close and Evan is gone, I turn to the door. I pray it's unlocked since I don't have my key, and of course, it is. I always used to yell at Spencer for leaving the door unlocked all the time, especially at night when someone is more likely to break in. Some things never change.

I open the door slowly and cautiously, just in case Spencer is sitting right there on the couch. I peek inside and scope out the room. No one is around, but I can hear Spencer rifling through something in his room.

As open the door all the way and drag my things inside, I'm a little surprised to find the apartment almost exactly the same as I left it—give or take a few new sculptures. I guess I was expecting some big changes since a year is such a long time when you think about it, but so far the only thing that's different here is Evan, the assistant to the doorman.

I decide that instead of calling Spencer's name, I'll just make a bunch of noise so he'll be really confused and maybe even scared. That'll teach him to leave the door unlocked. So I start stomping my feet on the floor, jumping up and down, grabbing things and hitting them against the counter so it makes noise. I hear Spencer stop doing whatever he's doing, and a moment later he comes running out holding a wooden spoon defensively in his hand. He looks the same as he did when I left, except he cut his hair short again.

"Yeah, 'cuz a wooden spoon is going to stop the intruders," I retort sarcastically.

It takes a second for Spencer's brain to adjust before he throws the wooden spoon aside and yells "CARLY!" running toward me and picking me up, spinning me around in typical Spencer fashion. He is hugging me so hard I can barely breathe, and I start to get dizzy after he keeps spinning me around. "Oh my gosh, what are you doing here, kiddo?!" he exclaims, more excited that I've ever seen him before.

"If you release me from your death grip I can answer you," I whisper with whatever breath I have left.

"Oh, my bad," he says as he quickly puts me down and lets me catch my breath. He can't get that goofy smile off of his face, and neither can I.

"I wanted to surprise you. I miss you, and Dad let me come home to go to school here!"

"Seriously? That's incredible!" He shouts as he pulls me into a hug again. I laugh and hug him back, cherishing this happy moment with my big brother who I've missed so much. "I missed you too, kiddo."

We finally pull apart and I have no clue what to inquire about next. "I don't know where to start…how are you? What have you been up to? How's Freddie and Sam and Gibby? Evan the assistant to the doorman said you have a girlfriend? What is he talking about?" I talk super fast and my mind can't stop racing with questions, but I notice Spencer freeze up when I ask about his girlfriend.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Questions later. I'm still trying to comprehend that you're actually here. You look so grown up," he replies as he look at me disbelievingly, even though I haven't really changed a bit. "Oh, and I have loads of questions for you about Italy. That's got to be way more interesting than boring old Seattle," he chuckles, with a hint of nervousness.

"Haha, okay. Well I should go put my bags upstairs…"

"No!" Spencer cuts me off and grabs my hand as I turn toward the bags. He then laughs a little and says, "Don't worry about that now. I can take your bags up for you later. Why don't you go see if Freddie is home? I'll go with you," he adds quickly.

"Alright, good idea," I say a little suspiciously. For some reason, Spencer seems a little off. I put the thought out of my head and rush out of the apartment to Freddie's door. Spencer follows me, and I knock rapidly, the excitement of seeing Freddie again filling me. I missed that nerd.

Mrs. Benson answers the door. She actually looks pleased to see me. "Hi, Mrs. Benson!"

"Carly, you're back!" She declares as she gives me a hug. "How was Italy?"

"It was awesome! I'm glad to be home, though. Is Freddie home? I'd like to surprise him."

"He's in his bedroom. I'll lead you there…Spencer, you're coming in, too?"

"Yep," he tells Mrs. Benson.

We follow Mrs. Benson to Freddie's room, and I'm surprised to see that you no longer need a password to enter. Mrs. Benson knocks on the door. "Freddie, someone's here to see you!"

We hear him get up, probably from his desk, and he opens the door. "Hey, stranger!" I say as I put my arms out for a big hug.

"Carly!" he screams as he runs to me and we hug each other. "What are you doing in Seattle?"

"I decided it was time to come home. I miss it here like crazy! It's so great to see you!" I exclaim as I hug him again. It felt so good to see my friend after so long. I made friends in Italy, but they were nothing like what Freddie and Sam are to me.

After we're done hugging, the three of us move into the living room to chat while Mrs. Benson cooks tuna casserole in the kitchen. I need to get out of here before it's ready to eat. Freddie asks me about my trip and I ask him about what he is up to. He says he's still at Seattle Tech, studying media technology. He wants to film TV shows one day and discover new advances. I tell him he would be good at that. I also ask him if T-Bo still lives with them. Freddie says yes, but he's working right now. Of course, at the Groovy Smoothie.

We talk for awhile longer about his life here and my life in Italy. "Have you seen Sam yet?" Freddie asks, looking at Spencer and me. I notice Spencer has been pretty quiet.

"No, so far just you and Spencer," Mrs. Benson coughs loudly from the kitchen, "And Mrs. Benson," I add. "I'm trying to figure out a way to surprise Sam."

"Hmm…maybe you should text her and have her meet you at the Groovy Smoothie. That way you can see T-Bo, too," Freddie suggests.

"Or you could just wait it out a little. What's the rush in seeing Sam right now? We're having a good time here," Spencer says to me, although he is looking at Freddie.

"I kind of want to surprise her now," I say to Spencer, "And that's not a bad idea, Freddie, but if I text her she'll know I'm home."

"Use one of our phones. She'll think she's meeting me or Spencer."

"Yeah, that'll work! Whose phone should I use?"

"Use Spencer's. She'd be more likely to meet him. I haven't really hung out with her in awhile." Freddie says.

"Really? Why not?" I ask Freddie.

"We had a bit of a…disagreement."

"Oh. Sounds serious."

"It is a pretty serious situation," he says to me, then turns to Spencer, "Let her use your phone, Spence."

He hesitates, then pulls his Pear phone out of his pocket. "What do you want me to say?" he asks me.

"Just be like, 'hey, meet me at the Groovy Smoothie in ten?' and see what she says. If Sam hasn't changed she's always down for smoothies."

"Oh, she's changed…" Freddie mutters under his breath.

"What'd you say?" I ask curiously.

"Oh, nothing…"

"Okay, I sent it," Spencer tells us.

We sit around for a few minutes and Mrs. Benson comes over and tells me what she has been up to over the past year, which includes lots of knitting, baking, and finding new ways to ensure Freddie's safety while simultaneously annoying him.

Spencer's phone beeps, indicating that Sam has replied. "Okay, she'll meet you there," he says seriously.

"And she thinks it's you coming, right?" I ask.

"Yup, you're gonna knock her socks off, kiddo."

I laugh even though he doesn't really say it in a funny way. But I'm excited to see my best friend nonetheless.

I say goodbye to Mrs. Benson and Freddie and tell him that he should come over when I get back. He says sure thing, and Spencer and I go into the hallway. "Hey, Spence. Has something happened between you and Freddie?"

"No. Why do you think that?" He asks innocently.

"Well you were just so happy to see me, but when we went over there your mood changed. You seemed irritated or nervous or something."

"Carly, everything is fine. I promise," he says with a small but reassuring smile, "Things are just a little different than they were a year ago. We have some stuff to talk about, but for now go see Sam."

"Okay…see you later," I say as I walk away, wondering what he means when he says that things are different. I don't want some big dramatic problem changing the dynamic of my relationships with my friends and my brother. We all used to hang out, and I want that to stay the same.

The Groovy Smoothie is right across the street from Bushwell, so I'm approaching the entrance within minutes. I open the door and see Sam's back facing me. She is sitting at our old table, nervously twiddling her thumbs. I sneak up to the table and tap her on the shoulder. She spins her stool around, smiles and hugs me. She's not as surprised or excited as I thought she would be.

"Carls! I've missed you so much!" she says, speaking into my hair. It feels so good to have my best friend again.

"I've missed you too, so much!" I say, rapidly swaying her back and forth in excitement. I hug her tighter, and she feels bigger than she used to. We pull apart and I look at her. She looks nervous. I adjust my eyes to her stomach, and see a bump. I stand in shock for a moment. "Are you pregnant?" I ask her.

Sam nods her head. "Yeah…surprise…." She says quietly with a nervous smile as she waves her hands around. Next, she takes a deep breath and says, "Sit down, let's talk about it."

**Dun dun dunnnnnn. Did you see it coming? Probably. But oh well. More surprises await. REVIEW please!**

**Another note: I'm really not sure if Seattle Tech is a school. If it's not, I made it up.**

**Bye for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

Sam just dropped a huge bombshell on me, and here we are discussing it in the Groovy Smoothie. I can't tell how I feel about this—I'm very confused and shocked, but beyond that I can't tell if it's excitement or resentment I'm feeling.

After I sit down across from her, I start off by asking basic questions. "How far along are you?"

"Five and a half months." She tells me as she folds and unfolds her hands.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.

"It's too personal of a thing to tell someone over long distance phone calls, Carly. I had to tell you in person."

"Yeah, but you didn't even know when I was coming home. If that was your defense than years could have gone by and I still wouldn't know that my best friend is a mom!"

"I'm sorry," she says as T-Bo brings me a smoothie and puts his arm around me in a hug.

"This one's on the house for my favorite girl named Carly who has just returned from Italy and is now home to see her favorite person, T-Bo," he says proudly.

"Thanks, I bet I beat out a lot of girls in that category," I reply sarcastically as a take a sip of the smoothie.

"You wanna buy a peach? I was just sliding them on a stick in the back."

"Of course you were. But I'm kind of busy right now, so maybe later."

"Fine, then that'll be $3.75," he snaps back at me, his giving attitude changing completely.

"What?" I ask.

"You heard me. $3.75," he demands as I reach into my pocket and hand him four singles. He walks away with all of them.

"Hey, you owe me a quarter!" I yell to him.

"No, I don't," he says, and at this point I don't even care anymore.

I turn back to Sam. "So what did your mom say when she found out?"

"She hasn't yet. I haven't spoken to her in seven months."

"Why not?"

"We had a huge fight, it's not important," she says as she looks into her smoothie.

"So where are you living?"

She pauses and says, "With a friend."

"Oh," I say thoughtfully, "it's not one of your bad friends is it?"

"No, this person is good to me."

"Good. Because even though I'm a little disappointed right now, I want the best for you. You're still my best friend and I consider that baby my little niece or nephew."

"Well, you should," she says with a small grin.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Yeah, uh, they told me last ultrasound. I'm having a boy," she says with a smile. Although Sam has never seemed like mom material, I could see that she already loves her son and that she will probably be good at it.

"Ahw, that's so cool. I could see you having a boy, teaching him how to fight and stuff," I say playfully as I start to loosen up a little. "Do you have people supporting you? Is the dad being supportive?"

"Not a lot of people are supportive, but the ones who truly care are. And yes, the dad is supportive."

"I'm glad," there's a couple moments of silence before I speak again, "so…the next big question…who's the dad?" Sam doesn't say anything and won't make eye contact with me. "Do you know who the father is?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm not a slut," she snaps at me. She has to take a deep breath before she talks again. "I'm sorry, Carls. Hormones. I just don't want to say it."

"Okay. Then I'll guess. Is it…Freddie?" I guess tentatively, hoping that it isn't him because all the drama would ruin our trio—which reminded me that I still had to ask Sam about what she and Freddie disagreed over. Maybe it was the baby… "Oh my gosh, it totally is Freddie! He said you guys disagreed over something, is it what to do with the baby? Because it's his?" I was totally convinced that that was it.

"It's not Freddie. I told you I was done dating that nub. I don't want to go down that road again."

"Then what did you and Freddie disagree about?"

"He thought that I should tell you about it over Skype or on the phone, but I didn't think that was a good idea."

"That's it?"

"Well that's part of it."

"What's the rest?"

"I can't say."

I stare at her for a minute, kind of pissed that she can't tell me the truth. "Okay…then is it…Brad?"

"I haven't seen Brad since a couple months before you left. Remember? We ran into him at Hey Food?"

"Okay, so it's not him," I try to think of other people but I'm having difficulties doing so. It just shows how much I've missed over the last year. "I can't believe I'm going to guess this, but I have to…is it Gibby?"

"Carly, no!" Sam says defensively with a disgusted look on her face.

"SAM, just tell me! Why are you making me guess? Since when do you not have the lady balls to tell your best friend the truth? Geez, you're acting like it's…like it's Spencer or something," I protest extremely annoyed with Sam as I pick up my smoothie and angrily sip it.

I look across the table at Sam. She has a guilty, serious look on her face and she says nothing. "Sam. Look at me," I command, "Is it Spencer?" The silence says it all. "SPENCER IS THE FATHER OF YOUR BABY?! What…how could…why would…what happened?!" I scream. I am so angry I can barely form a complete sentence, nevermind trying to comprehend what the hell is going on.

"Carly, let's go talk somewhere private, okay?"

"No! I want to know what is going on now! You're sleeping with my brother? How could you!"

"Carly—''

I cut her off, "No, Sam! I don't want to hear it. How could he…I need to go yell at him!" I say as I run out of the Groovy Smoothie and across the street back to Bushwell. Sam is following me, and normally she would be able to outrun me, but her pregnant body prevents her from doing so now.

I sprint through the lobby angrily, not even caring that the cute, nice Evan probably thinks I'm crazy now, and take the stairs to the 8th floor. I barge inside and find Spencer pacing in the living room. I run to him and start hitting him as hard as I can. He seems surprised, as if I would be okay with all of this. I push him to the ground, my adrenaline giving me extra power. He yells out things like "Carly, stop!" and "calm down!" but he should know that that won't stop me.

Eventually Sam comes through the door and pulls me off of Spencer. Even though her speediness has lessened due to the pregnancy, her strength sure hasn't. Spencer gets up from the ground and tries to catch his breath. "I thought that you were going to bring her back here so we could tell her together. Didn't you read my texts?" Spencer asked Sam.

"I read them but she guessed it before we left," Sam replied apologetically, "Are you okay? Italy sure has made you stronger, Carly," she said nonchalantly, looking at me as if everything was back to normal now.

"Go home, Sam. I don't want to see you. Whore."

"Whoa," Spencer chimed in, "first of all, don't call her names, okay?"

"Why, is she your little girlfriend?"

"Yeah, she is, actually. What happened isn't all her fault and it didn't mean nothing. And secondly, this is her home. She lives here now."

"Spencer is the "friend" you're staying with?" I ask Sam and she nods her head. I scoff, "More like fuck buddy."

"Carly, be quiet. You don't know what happened," Spencer says.

"Exactly! I don't know what happened because none of you have cared to tell me! Neither of you have told me that she's pregnant, you're living together, or that you're dating! Did you just stop caring about me when I left?" I could feel myself starting to cry.

"Of course not, Carls. You're my best friend," Sam tries to calm me, but it's not going to work.

"Don't start. I'm going to my room," I say as I run to the stairs. I hear Spencer call out behind me not to, but it's too late.

I open the door to my former bedroom and walk in to discover that all of my things are gone. The walls are no longer pink, they are baby blue. _Baby._ There is a crib, changing table, baby toys, a rocking chair, and two huge half finished wall murals on both sides of the room that Spencer is still in the process of working on. One side has the outlines for zoo animals, and the other side has skyscrapers and airplanes. The room has tons of space for more things to be put in, but they clearly aren't finished yet. Spencer and Sam join me in the room after a moment, but no one says anything.

"You…ruined my room? You made it into a nursery?" I ask them in disbelief. At this point my tone of voice isn't angry, it's just sad and confused.

"Carly, we didn't think you would be coming home yet," Spencer says.

"Where's all my stuff?"

"It's upstairs."

"In the iCarly studio? You put all my things up there? Why would you do that?"

"We didn't want to get rid of the stuff, so we put it up there…and the really cool stuff we put in our room, but that's beside the point." I notice how Spencer said "our room" and it makes me queasy. I don't talk anymore. I sit down on the ground and they both come down and hug me. I want to be mad at them but I'm not as angry anymore. I'm conflicted in my feelings over the situation. As I look around the room I start to think that's it is really adorable. I notice a mobile hanging above the crib. I could tell that Spencer made it, and I hope that it doesn't start a fire and ruin my nephew's nursery. _My nephew._ Weird.

"Okay, I want to know what happened now," I say calmly. I tell myself to try to be rational over the whole thing.

Sam and Spencer pull away from me and we're all still sitting on the ground. Sam talks first. "Okay, Spence, where should we start…"

**Alright, I really need to get some things done now. I've been writing for four and a half hours :O I'm feeling particularly inspired today. REVIEW. Thanks. Again, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. Don't let these four and a half (now almost five) hours be for nothing! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to those that have reviewed and/or followed! I'm sorry if it ever takes me a long time to update. My laptop is broken so I now have to use the home computer, which is shared with the rest of my family. It's sometimes hard to get a turn with it!**

**Note: I know iGoodbye aired in November, but for my own creative purposes all of the events that took place in that episode (including Carly leaving) happened in August. So that means that right now in the story, it is the beginning of August. Also, just a code for my writing:**

**Oh, and just to let you know: this chapter contains a lot of dialogue. A LOT. Hopefully you don't mind, but there's not as much at the end. Now that that's out of the way, on with the story…**

Spencer thinks for a minute before speaking, probably contemplating how to tell me in a way that won't make me freak out again. "After you left, we were all pretty bummed out. Me, Sam, Freddie, Gibby, even T-Bo, although he wouldn't admit it. Everyone still came over to the loft just like when you were here because that's what we all knew, except things were different. We all still got along, we all entertained each other. We found new things to do since you guys had to cancel iCarly for now," I wince a little when he mentions iCarly. It's the first time anyone has mentioned it since I've come home. Spencer continues, "It was cool while it lasted, which was for about a month, but then Freddie started going to school, Gibby got a job at Fuzzy Friends—''

"The pet store?" I interrupt.

"Yeah, that's the one. And T-Bo started dating someone for a little while—''

"T-Bo had a girlfriend?" I interrupt again.

"I know right? So while they were all busy, it was just me and Sam. All we did was hang out, really. We watched TV, she helped me with my sculptures, we played video games. It was great. But around mid October, things started changing. Our hanging out didn't feel as friendly anymore, and we were forced to face our feelings for each other."

"Your _feelings_ for each other?" I ask disgustedly. I've known that Sam used to have a "little crush" on Spencer but I didn't think that it went beyond that, nor did I think that Spencer would reciprocate those feelings for her in a million years.

Sam answers me, "You know that 'little crush?'" She asks as I nod my head. "Well it wasn't so little. It never has been. I was just nervous to tell you. It would be weird if I told you how much I like your big brother." _Oh yeah, this is so much less weird,_ I think to myself.

Spencer cuts in, "It would be even weirder if I told my little sister how much I like her best friend." I think of all the times they used to hang out without me and the strange looks they sometimes gave each other. I now realize that that was all due to some crush. It makes so much sense now. I used to think that Sam and Spencer had a brother-sister relationship, like Spencer and I. It's a little disturbing to think about how wrong I was…

"How long have you felt that way?" I ask Spencer, hoping that he doesn't give me some super young age, like twelve, and make it even creepier.

He thinks for a moment. "I started to feel differently about Sam about three years ago. I don't know what it was, but my feelings for her were suddenly so strong—I couldn't get her out of my head. But I knew that I couldn't do anything about it since it was illegal at the time. Plus, she and Freddie were still a thing. And she's your best friend. I'd be crazy to come between you two and stir up trouble like that."

"This isn't any better," I say.

"I know. I wish we handled it differently, and I'm sorry," Spencer says, looking into my eyes with sympathy. I feel a mixture of things in this moment—I'm angry and filled with disbelief; I'm sad that I've missed a whole year and clearly so much; I'm sorry that Spencer can't find a way to please me in this situation, which I can see is breaking his heart; I'm even a tiny bit happy that two of my favorite people are happy, and I'm happy that I'll be getting a nephew soon. I just don't understand how so much could change in a year.

"Tell me what happened next," I tell them.

Sam responds to me, "We finally told each other how we felt and…well, we started dating. Not a whole lot changed at first. We did the same things; I still came over every day, we were just a couple now," I try to think of them as a new couple, exploring being with each other after apparent years of longing. I stop immediately because I don't want my head to go there. "Anyway, right around Christmastime my mom and I got into a huge argument over her new boyfriend. He was a major creep and a drug dealer. He tried hitting on me nearly every time I saw him, which was basically whenever I went home. But one day he went too far and tried to rape me when my mom wasn't around, so I beat the crap out of him, easily of course. But when I tried to tell my mom what happened, she blamed me for it. She said that he would never do something like that and I was just slutty. We had our worst fight ever and she kicked me out." As Sam is telling me this she is getting a little emotional—something I rarely used to see in her. I guess that's changed, too, but then again it could just be the hormones. I wish I could have been there for her when this was all happening.

Spencer continues, "She came over here for my comfort and support, and I told her she should move in. She was here all the time anyway and she already kept a bunch of stuff in the apartment so it was no big deal. On Christmas Eve we went and got the rest of her stuff while her mom was out and she officially moved in."

Sam picks up, "A couple weeks into January my mom called and invited me to go to Vegas with her and her boyfriend because they were getting married. She was clearly wasted or high or something on the phone. I told her I wasn't going and she shouldn't either, but they went anyway. I haven't spoken to her since."

"January was also when Freddie expressed his discontentment over our relationship. He said that it was weird, wrong, and a betrayal to you. As much as that seems to ring true in the moment, we ignored him and started seeing him even less—which was already pretty infrequent," Spencer adds. I make a mental note to go talk to Freddie about all of this when I get the chance. "February was normal, March was normal. But early April, Sam found out she's…you know."

"Yup, I knew something was up as soon as I couldn't hold my fried chicken," Sam throws in.

"How did you guys react to that?"

"I told Spence that I thought I could be pregnant and we went to the doctor. Once it was confirmed, we were both kind of in shock. We should have been more careful. But we worked through it and here we are, sitting in the nursery for our son."

"Did you know right away you wanted to keep it?"

Sam hesitates before speaking again. "Since we're being honest, I considered getting an abortion for, like, a second. Only because we were scared to be parents. I've never imagined myself being a good mom. Especially so young and so early in our relationship. Plus, we were pretty nervous to tell you," Sam confesses, "but there's no way I could have ever gone through with that. This is my kid. Er, our kid," she says looking over at Spencer. They smile at each other lovingly for a split second before drawing their attention back to me.

"I'm glad you didn't get rid of him. I'm already getting attached, and I'm still pissed at his parents," I say with blunt sincerity.

Spencer continues, "The next few months were basically ultrasounds and getting ready for the baby. At the end of May, Freddie started coming around here again since his final semester was over. He didn't know about the baby at first because Sam wasn't showing as much then, but when he found out he got really angry with us. He said it was irresponsible, which it was, and that you would be pissed, which you are. He wanted us to call you and tell you, but we were putting it off. Partially because it's not the type of news you break over the phone, and partially because we knew the conversation wouldn't go well with all the huge bombshells we would have to drop on you."

"Well I wish you guys had just been honest with me from the beginning. I want you both to be happy. Your relationship is super weird, I'm just going to come out and say that. But if you told me you were dating last October then I would be completely used to the idea by now; same with the baby. All of this wouldn't be happening right now if you two had better combined decision making skills."

"I'm not going to refute that statement," Spencer says, his "three days of law school vocabulary" shining through.

"Is that everything? Absolutely _everything_ you have to tell me?" I ask assertively.

"Basically. Nothing else has really happened since the Freddie thing. T-Bo and Gibby are pretty cool with the news. Mrs. Benson came over and lectured us for an hour about premarital sex, and then gave me these weird Swedish vitamins that I refuse to take, per my obstetrician's orders," Sam says, giving the final details. I cringe when she mentions the sex—I never want to have that image in my head.

"Okay. Well, thanks for telling me everything FINALLY," I say, practically shouting the last word. "But I'm pretty jetlagged now. Is my bed upstairs?"

"Yeah, your bed and most of your other stuff," Spencer tells me as I get up. He follows the notion, and then helps Sam up.

"Alright, well I'm gonna go up, then."

"Can we have a hug?" Sam asks me innocently. Spencer throws in a goofy "pretty please?" I smile as we hug each other. I'm still fuming at these two, but having them in my arms again after a year makes me smile even under these crazy circumstances.

We pull apart and I walk towards the door as I hear, "Love you, kiddo," from my big brother. A "Love you, Carls," follows from my best friend. I tell them I love them, too, and I go to the stairs.

**I'm not super pleased with that chapter, but it's serving more as a "here's what happened" type of thing, so I did my best with it. I'm posting two chapters in one night because I originally intended to fit everything into one chapter, but it didn't feel right. So voile, two chapters for you. I hope you enjoy them! Reviews are lovely little things, so please take the time to write one for me! Even the most simplistic review you can muster will make me smile :) Alright, click the next chapter button now that I'm done talking…**


	5. Chapter 5

I arrive at the glass door of the former iCarly studio and I peek in the window before opening the door. As I walk in, I see a room filled with what looks like a combination of the iCarly studio and my bedroom all fumbled together. It looks sort of like a tornado went through.

Most of the iCarly props are still in the same place as when I left, but my bedroom things are positioned in random places throughout the room. My dresser is stored next to the elevator, all of my clothes are in baskets where Freddie used to stand with the camera, various other décor that was too girly to make it into Spencer and Sam's shared bedroom—_shudder_—are placed all over the room, and my bed is in the center surrounded by a variety of different tidbits.

All of my bags are already up here—I guess Spencer carried them up while I was meeting Sam at the Groovy Smoothie earlier, probably wanting to keep himself busy because he was so nervous, or maybe just wanting to kiss up to me. I start to unpack my things and put them back into drawers, along with the clothes I left here that were put into baskets. I admire my belongings that I brought home from Italy, and I see the souvenirs I brought back for Spencer, Sam, and the rest of my friends. I decide that I don't feel like bringing Spencer and Sam their souvenirs now after our heavy conversation.

I look at the clock on the wall—it's almost 4:30. My body is still running in Florence time; it's 1:30 A.M. there. Normally I would be sleeping right now, and I'm pretty tired because of that. I decide that it's time for a nap. I collapse onto my bed and think about what happened today.

I think about how while I was making new friends in Italy, my old friends were here missing me; how while I was looking for cute Italian boys to date, my brother and my best friend had started dating and fallen in love here; how while I was strengthening my relationship with my dad, Sam and her mom were hitting an all time low; how while I was shopping at the trendiest stores I could locate for the best clothes I'd seen in my life, Spencer and Sam were purchasing baby supplies and going to ultrasounds.

_It's crazy how much can change in a year,_ are my last thoughts before I drift off to sleep.

"Carly…Carly…" I hear someone saying as they shake me, waking me up from my peaceful slumber. It's Spencer. "Hey, kiddo," he says as I open my eyes. "I brought you pizza and a juice pouch," he exclaims cheerfully holding up the plate and handing me the juice.

I rip off the straw from the back of the pouch and take the plastic off, sticking the straw into the drinking hole. As I sip I ask, "What time is it?"

"9:30," Spencer replies, "I thought you'd want some dinner. I figured you'd be asleep since you didn't come down. Pretty tired, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm not used to the time switch."

"Understandable," he says nodding, handing me the plate with two pieces of cheese pizza on it. I bite into the first piece and it tastes surprisingly great. After eating pizza fresh from Italy, I thought stupid American pizza would taste like garbage. Turns out I've actually missed the greasy delicacy.

As I'm finishing my first piece, I notice Spencer is watching me eat. "What?" I ask him with a smile.

"I've just missed you, that's all," he says quietly, "I'm really glad you're home. No one could ever replace your spot here—in the loft or in my heart."

"Spencer, you don't have to try to convince me of that. I know that Sam isn't my replacement. That's not the same thing at all."

"I know, it's just…I'm sorry that we've been more distant than I would have liked over the past year. I hated hiding all that stuff from you. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders now that you're home and you know."

I nod and bite into my second piece. I'm devouring this pizza and loving it. Spencer continues, "I feel really bad that you came home excited to surprise us…you were probably expecting to find things pretty normal."

"Well, yeah. I definitely wasn't expecting this," I mumble with my mouth full.

"Yeah, I know. I wish I didn't disappoint you, though," he says sadly.

I wipe my mouth off and look at him seriously. "Spencer, you didn't necessarily disappoint me. You just caught me off guard. And you did a lot of things over the past year that made me kinda angry when I got home because I didn't know about any of it. But that's it. I forgive you."

"You do?" he asks me, seemingly surprised. I nod back at him. "I'm really happy to hear that. I haven't felt like the best guy over the past few months," he pauses for a moment, "I'm really excited that I'm going to be a dad but I feel horrible about getting Sam pregnant. She's too young for it, you know?"

"But you're dating her," I mention, questioning him.

"I know. It doesn't feel weird being with her. It feels perfect and effortless being with her. I'm too immature for someone my age, and she's too mature for all the nubs her age. It balances out perfectly. But it's too soon for her to be a mom. She's supposed to be getting ready to finally start up college, not going to birthing classes and shopping in baby stores. I just feel terrible because it's all my fault."

"Okay, I'm going to tell you two things. First of all, it takes two to have a baby. Sam is just as much responsible as you are. And if she's happy with you and she's happy having a baby with you, then just let it be. If she really didn't want the baby now then she would have gone through with the abortion. And second, Spence: you're not a bad person. Stop beating yourself up about this. You're the best guy I know, and I'm sure you treat Sam like a queen. You're no doubt the best guy for her, I have to admit. And you're going to be the best dad ever, too."

A smile comes across his face. "The best dad _ever_?" he asks.

"Yes, even better than our dad," I playfully respond.

He puts his palm to his forehead. "Crap, I gotta tell dad next," he remembers. "Any advice on that?"

"Don't wait for the next time he comes to Seattle to tell him," I say with no tone of sarcasm in my voice. But I crack a little smile to let him know that it's going to be okay.

He smiles back at me and gushes, "Thanks, Carly. I don't know how I survived a whole year without you."

"I don't know how you did either. Especially since you and Sam have been living together. I still haven't checked—is there any food in our fridge? And has any part of the apartment been severely damaged by fire?" I joke.

He laughs and wraps me up in yet another hug and tells me he loves me again. I say that I love him as well. We pull apart after a minute and it's quiet, but it's comfortable. "I'm still pretty exhausted. I'm gonna go back to sleep. I'll be up again later," I tell him.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning. Night, kiddo," he says as he goes to the elevator and pushes the down button. The doors open and as he walks in and the doors begin to close, he yells, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" I laugh to myself and slip under the covers, drifting back to sleep.

**Yayyyy, two chapters in one night. I feel accomplished. I'll try to update soon, but we'll see how that goes with me having to share the family computer. Over Christmas break I'll be writing as well, but I'll try to post before then. Until then…stay awesome. And review! Okay, bye.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm baaaack. Sorry it took a little while to update. I started working on another iCarly fic that I haven't posted yet, but it's really been taking up all of my writing time lately. Please check it out once I get it up here! For now, enjoy the chapter…**

I wake up early the next morning—it's only 5:30 AM—and think of my dad. We both enjoyed the past year together very much, and the image of him being all alone again saddens me.

I decide to send him an email, letting him know that I've arrived safely and everything is well. I tell him that I'm very happy to be in Seattle again, but I miss him very much. I tell him that I'm registering for classes here next week. I tell him that Spencer was really surprised to see me home. However, I don't tell him about the surprise I felt upon arriving home. Spencer will have to tell him about the baby—that one's up to him.

After hitting send I spend more time unpacking my things and organizing what appears to be my new bedroom for the time being. As much as I'd love to keep on living here I think it would be best for me to find a place of my own before the baby arrives.

An hour passes as I clean and get distracted by things I haven't seen in a year. I forgot that I had a lot of these things—go figure.

It's half past six when I finally decide to go downstairs. I'm surprised to see that both Sam and Spencer are already awake. They're notoriously late sleepers, so I find this weird. They're sitting on the couch together all couple-y, eating toast. The TV is programmed to some comedy show and they are laughing, but it doesn't seem like it's the TV they're laughing at. "Hey, what are you guys doing up already?" I ask them.

They turn around and look surprised to see that I'm down here, almost as if yesterday never happened. Their demeanor changes in an instant with one look at me. "Oh, hey," Spencer says as he makes room for me on the couch and motions for me to sit.

"That's okay. I'm gonna go make some coffee," I tell him as I go to the kitchen and grab a mug. "So why are you guys up again? Is this a new thing, too?"

Spencer shakes his head as Sam says, "Actually, I have an appointment at 8…" She trails off and looks at me, probably expecting me to look uncomfortable—which I slightly am. "You could go with us if you want," she offers, "it's just a simple ultrasound."

"Thanks, but not today. I have more packing to get done and I told Freddie I'd see him again today."

"It won't take long," Spencer says to me. He's still looking for my approval, but he won't get it at this very moment.

"I know, but I'll just stay here. You guys go."

"Well alright," they say. After I make my coffee I go sit in the lounge chair that's next to the couch. It's a little awkward, I have to admit. There's not much talking—just staring at the television. The same comedy show is still on, and it's awful, but we're not really watching it. Just staring.

They finish their toast and Spencer drinks the last of his coffee. They get up and tell me they have to go get dressed and ready to leave. Once they leave the room I go back upstairs and stay there until I hear the door close, indicating that they're gone. I decide to take a shower and after that plan on going to Freddie's. I want to hear his side of this twisted story.

* * *

It's only 8:30 when I go knocking on Freddie's door. I realize that it's a little early, but I don't want to stay in the loft any longer. Plus, I know Mrs. Benson has probably been up cleaning and cooking since 5 AM anyway.

The door opens. "Carly, what a nice surprise. Come on in," Mrs. Benson says.

I walk in and stand in the living room, "Thanks. Is Freddie up?"

"I think he just got out of the shower. Would you like some waffles while you wait for him?"

"Uhm, sure…" I say tentatively, remembering how awful her cooking used to be. But waffles sound pretty good right now, so I accept.

I have a seat at their neatly set kitchen table. Mrs. Benson sets a plate stacked with waffles in front of me. She pours some syrup on the waffles and tells me to enjoy. "Thanks," I tell her. I take a bite and it's shockingly delicious—possibly the best waffles I've ever tasted. She sets a tall glass of orange juice in front of me and I thank her again. A quiet moment passes before I ask, "Is T-Bo home?"

"Yes, but he's a late sleeper."

"Oh," I say nodding.

I continue to eat my food and she asks, "So, you know about Spencer and Sam now, huh?"

I stop mid-chew. "Uh, yeah," I swallow the rest of what's in my mouth and grab a napkin to wipe my face. "You know about that?"

She nods, "Well they live across the hall from me. I know they got together and I know Sam's pregnant, but that's all I know. Freddie doesn't want to tell me about it."

Am I actually having a conversation about this with Mrs. Benson? Has she gotten slightly more normal over the past year? She's gotten nicer, her cooking has gotten better, and she hasn't tried to give me any special tick lotion yet. I kind of like this Mrs. Benson. Things are getting weirder around here by the minute.

Just then, Freddie comes walking into the kitchen. His hair is still wet, but otherwise he is completely dressed and ready for the day. His face lights up when he sees me. "Carly, hey. What are you doing here?"

"I have to talk to you," I say a little too seriously.

"Ahh, they explained everything to you. Come on, let's talk." He motions for me to follow him and we go to his bedroom. It's a little messy—something I've never seen in his room before. We sit on his bed and he asks me, "So what do you wanna know?"

"What exactly happened from your point of view?" I ask.

He takes a deep breath and thinks for a moment. "Everyone still hung out for a little while after you left, but soon T-Bo, Gibby, and I got busy so it was just Spencer and Sam. I was pretty occupied with school so I didn't notice it at all at first, but then when I did everything came together. She went over there every day, sometimes didn't even leave to go home at night," he pauses, clearly uncomfortable. "Soon after that I saw them taking all her stuff in there one day and she moved in."

"Were you talking to them at all while all this was happening?"

"School kept me pretty busy with all the work, extra curriculars, and the new friends I made. We drifted apart, so I didn't talk to them as much as I would have liked. Every once in a while I would run into Spencer in the hall and he would invite me in, or they would be at the Groovy Smoothie and I would sit with them. But it was definitely not the same."

"Did they ever directly tell you they were dating?"

"Yeah. One day I ran into Sam in the lobby and we rode the elevator up together. I confronted her about it and she confirmed their relationship. I didn't talk to either of them for awhile after that, but when I did they were open about it. The whole thing just made me kind of mad."

"Why?"

"Because it's weird. Why would they be together? He's so much older than she is," he takes a deep breath, "But eventually when school wrapped up for me around May I started talking to them again. I went over to the loft almost every day and got a little used to the fact that they were together, but I was a little put off by the fact that they didn't tell you yet. It made it seem even more wrong," he pauses again, "but anyway, at this point Sam was only a couple months pregnant so she wasn't showing yet. But soon she was starting to and I was noticing signs. Sam began wearing baggie clothes, they were secretly taking baby things into the apartment and hiding them, and they were just flat out acting weird. I figured it out."

"What happened then?"

"I asked them about it and they said it was true. At this point I was really pissed."

"Why?"

"Because their relationship alone shouldn't even be happening—now they're having a baby together? They shouldn't be together and even if they break up like they should have a long time ago, they will always be together through that kid. They're bringing a person into the world together. This kid is going to be part Sam and part Spencer. The kid will make them always be connected. Neither of them is ready for this and they shouldn't be joined like that." Freddie is really angry at this point in the conversation. He takes a deep breath. And then another and another.

I start to connect the dots and know what's going on here. "They said that you were mad that they were keeping this from me. That's not why you're mad, is it?"

He shakes his head.

"You still love Sam, don't you?" I ask him.

He nods his head. It's all clear to me now.

Freddie continues speaking. "She's with him now. They live together and they love each other and they're having a baby together. A _baby_ together. It's all over now. I can never have another shot with her. She loves him and he can offer her so much more. I love her, but she's in love with him."

I look at my good friend. He's sad and miserable and lonely. He's hopelessly in love with my brother's girlfriend. Or rather, my best friend. I rest my hand on his. "Look, I wish I could tell you to go for it. But I can't. She's with Spencer now, and he's my brother. As screwy as their relationship is I really just want him to be happy. But I promise you that you will get over her. You're going to find a girl that you love ten times as much, and she'll love you back. It's all going to work out for you. I promise."

He smiles at this sentiment. "I don't know about that. But thanks, Carly."

"Thanks for talking to me," I reply.

"So how are you dealing with all the news?" he asks me after a minute goes by.

"Pretty confused, angry, awkward, and surprisingly happy."

"You're happy?" he asks in disbelief.

"A little bit. All of this is a lot to take in, but I'm excited to be getting a nephew in a few months."

"Doesn't it bother you that Sam's the mother, though?"

"Heck yeah. It bothers me a lot. I don't know why Sam would do all of this without talking to me. I don't even feel like I know her anymore. We used to have the best friendship, but now all of that just disappeared. I don't even know how to talk to her. It's just awkward."

He shrugs, "Once you get used to it more it'll just come to you. True friendship always finds its way. You just have to be open to it."

I smile and agree, "That's actually really good advice. Thanks, Freddie. I would go insane through all of this without you."

He smiles back, "No problem. I'm here anytime you need to talk and my door is always open if you ever need a break from whatever goes on over there."

He's not expecting it but I reach over and give him a big hug. He loosens in my arms and when we release each other we smile again. I don't know what I would do without Freddie.

* * *

It's quarter past ten when I head back across the hall to the loft. Sam and Spencer are back from their appointment. Sam is sprawled out on the couch and Spencer is sitting in the chair. I have a feeling they've been expecting me because otherwise they would be together on the couch, most likely cuddling. _Gag_.

"Hey, Carls," Sam says, lifting herself up. "Come over here. I have something to show you."

I sit next to her on the couch and sneak a quick look at her belly. It's not huge, but the bump is obviously there, and growing. Sam pulls something out of her pocket. She hands me a couple of black and white photographs. "We got some extra ultrasound pictures for you."

I hold one up and look at it long and hard. I've always thought ultrasound pictures looked like little blobs, but this one looks particularly special and kind of sweet. Sam starts pointing out to me the head, the arm, the heart. The adorable little heart. I smile as big as I have since I've been home. I look at Sam. She looks so happy to be showing me this, and even more pleased that I'm enjoying it. I look over at Spencer. He's smiling at us, clearly enjoying the pleasure I'm taking in the photos of their unborn child.

"He looks perfect," I say softly. "I can keep these pictures?"

"Yup, they're especially for you," Spencer says as he comes and joins us on the couch. He sits next to me and squeezes me. He says in his baby Spencer voice, "Auntie Carly, I'll see you soon. Then you can change my diapers so my daddy doesn't have to do it."

I laugh, and in the back of my mind hope that the baby Spencer voice isn't used when the baby arrives. That poor kid.

I look at the photos again and thank Spencer and Sam, hugging them both one at a time. Afterwards I go back up to the attic where all my things are. There are two photos: one I put on my dresser so I can look at it in my room, and one I put in my wallet so I can look at it wherever I go.

In the aftermath of that sweet moment, I can realistically hope that things are going to gradually get better around here. I can progressively accept their relationship, and I already love my nephew. I can't wait for him to get here. I look at the picture on my dresser and smile.

My nephew.

**There you have it. For those who want more Spam or are wondering why they aren't more doting or whatever, don't worry. I'll be giving more of that in later chapters. They're just all awkward now because of Carly, and it's kind of hard because the entire story is coming from Carly's point of view. In my head there's a bunch of behind the scenes stuff going on, but this is all I can give you coming from her! Hopefully you are enjoying the story so far. Reviewing would be real nice and very much appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'd just like to warn everyone that January probably won't be a big update month for me on this story. I have exams coming up and a huge research paper that will be pretty time consuming. However, I will be periodically posting prewritten chapters of my new iCarly fic, iWill Always Be There. Please check that out! I spent basically my entire break writing it so it would mean a lot. But for now, enjoy the chapter. I'll be back on this story as soon as I can! :)**

The next morning comes along and I wake up feel like I've been missing something since I've been home. Not much later I realize what that thing is—Gibby. I've seen everyone else that I've been missing so much, but I haven't even had the chance to text Gibby. I decide to stop by Fuzzy Friends to see if Gibby is working today. On my way out the door I ask Sam if she wants to come along, and to my surprise she actually agrees. I guess she's not too busy with my brother to hang out with me again. I don't know if things with Sam and me will ever be the same, but I'd like to start rebuilding our friendship to what it used to be again, regardless of what has happened.

Fuzzy Friends is three blocks away from Bushwell. Sam walks beside me, kicking the same rock the entire way.

"So you still haven't told me about Italy. How was it?" She asks.

"It was awesome. I had a really great time with my dad," I tell her, not going into any detail.

"That's all your gonna give me? What about the boys, the fashion, and the _food?_ Oh my gosh, I would kill for some Italian food right now," she says, rubbing her swollen stomach.

I laugh. "Yeah, the food was really amazing. You would have loved it. And the fashion there is awesome. Everyone dresses so much nicer there, it seems. I barely ever saw anyone walking around Florence in sweats. My dad actually took me to a fashion show in Venice. It was the coolest thing! And the boys were so handsome."

"How handsome?"

"Way better than any guy here. I don't know if you would agree, though," I say, taking a playful stab at her choice of a boyfriend.

She laughs it off. "Well did you meet anyone there? Any boyfriend you need to tell me about?"

"I went on some dates here and there, but most of the guys I met just became really good friends. I knew I wasn't going to stay in Florence forever so I didn't want any serious relationship." I tell Sam more things about my time in Italy for the rest of our walk. She listens intently, asking questions when it is appropriate. I'm starting to feel like she's the same old Sam again.

Finally we are standing in front of Fuzzy Friends pet store. A bell rings as we open the glass door. I hear birds chirping and dogs barking from the back. Cute puppies are kittens are looking out at the customers in the store behind glass windows. Mice, bunnies, and ferrets are in separate cages in the center of the store.

Sam and I walk in, looking around for Gibby. Neither Sam nor I see him anywhere. Sam says she's going to go ask someone if he's working while I look around for him more. Sam leaves my side and just when I think that we came at the wrong time, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see that it's Gibby.

"Excuse me, miss. This is going to sound crazy but you look exactly like my friend Carly. It's uncanny!" I think that he's joking at first, but then I realize that he's completely serious. Same old Gibby. A wide smile appears on my face.

Sam is suddenly next to me again. "Hey, you found him. What's up, Gib?"

"Sam, hey! Doesn't this girl look just like Carly? I swear they could be twins."

Sam and I both laugh. "Gibby, it's me! Carly! I'm back from Italy!"

His eyes widen and he screams, "Carly!" as he pulls me in his arms for a big hug. Gibby has gotten stronger, a bit taller, and even a little cuter. He's really growing into himself. "How are you? When did you get back?" he asks when he finally puts me down.

"I'm great! I just got back a couple days ago. How have you been?"

"Pretty awesome. I scored this sweet job and I'm back with Tasha. Life is good. And I see that you finally found out you're going to be an aunt!" Geez, even Gibby knew about this before I did.

"Yeah, I'm pretty…surprised," I say, looking for the right word, "and excited!" I say a little more enthusiasm.

We chat for another minute or so when an old man yells at Gibby from behind the counter to get back to work. He looks at us. "Well, it's great to see you guys. We'll all have to hang out soon."

"You're always welcome over, Gib," Sam tells him. I have to remind myself that it's her apartment now, too.

After we hug Gibby goodbye and admire the adorable puppies for a few minutes, we leave Fuzzy Friends and head back to Bushwell. When we walk in the lobby Evan is sitting at the desk.

"Hey, Sam. I'll be up in a few minutes," I tell her. She looks at Evan and back to me, nods, and enters the elevator alone. After the doors close and she's gone, I stand in front of the desk to talk to him. "Hey."

"Hey, how did your surprise go the other day?"

"It worked, but I think they got me worse." I tell him about what happened while I was gone, leaving out a few of the more personal details but still giving him the basic rundown.

"Wow. You must be kinda pissed. Or happy? I don't know, is a 'congratulations' in order?"

I giggle at his confusion. "I don't know what I am. I'm really mad at them both for not telling me and kind of for getting together in the first place. But at the same time I'm happy for them and happy that I'll have a nephew soon. I'm just confused, I guess."

"Well since you're getting a nephew: congratulations," he says with a big smile.

"Thank you," I smile back. We just sit there, smiling for a moment. Then I snap out of it. "I should head upstairs. But I'll see you soon," I tell him, backing towards the elevator.

"Okay, see you around," he says, smiling and giving a little wave.

And I thought that Italian boys were the cutest.

* * *

When the elevator doors open and I'm back in the loft, Sam is raiding the fridge. Now this is typical Sam, but the only difference is that now she actually owns whatever is inside. When she turns around her hands are full of baggies filled with various lunch meats.

"Hey," she says when she sees me, "I'm making a sandwich. You want one?"

"Sure," I'm waiting for her to tell me to make my own and make hers too while I'm at it, but she actually makes three perfect sandwiches all by herself—one for her, one for me, and one for Spencer, who is working on his mural for the nursery upstairs.

She hands mine to me on the couch and then goes upstairs to bring Spencer his. She's up there for a few minutes, and when she returns she grabs hers and sits next to me on the couch. At first we watch TV, but then we start talking and hanging out in an attempt to repair our friendship.

It's nice hanging out with Sam one-on-one again. I can tell that we both want it to be like old times, but the dynamic of our friendship has changed. Our lack of communication has caused us to grow apart, along with the fact that she has essentially traded me for my brother. She used to be here all the time to hang out with me. Now she lives here as the expectant mother of my brother's child. I want things to be the way they used to, but I don't know if it's possible. I'm willing to try, and it looks like she is as well. Hopefully this day will help to start to smooth things over.

After we're done talking about how I spent my time in Italy some more, it's my turn to ask her some questions about the baby. "So do you have any names in mind?"

"Spencer and I haven't really agreed on anything yet."

"Well it has to be a really kick-ass name," I say jokingly.

She looks surprised. "Carly, did you just curse? Your good girl image has just been shattered right before my eyes."

I laugh at her. "All I said was kick-ass."

"Yeah but you've never said anything like that in your life. You must have changed a lot in a year," she says, kidding around.

"Well that's ironic. Look who's talking," I say without thinking, motioning to her pregnant belly. I regret the words when they come out of my mouth, expecting her to be mad at me or hurt by them, but she just laughs it off. Same old Sam—you can't hurt her feelings easily and she doesn't take anything seriously.

"Yeah, I know. I'm surprised at myself, too. I would have never thought this was where I'd be last year at this time. I know that a lot has changed, but I still think of you as my best friend no matter what. I hope that you still think of me as yours?"

I look at her for a silent moment, sympathizing in a way. "You'll always be my best friend." She smiles and hugs me.

"I'm so sorry that I lied to you and betrayed you!"

"You didn't betray me; you were just doing what makes you happy! If you're happy with Spencer then I can be happy for you both," I say, still hugging her.

When we finally pull apart we decide to go to the Groovy Smoothie, Build-A-Bra, and all our other former favorite hang-out spots. It's going to be a fun-filled girl day with my best friend. I'm glad that things are starting to go back to the way they used to.


End file.
